Sleeper
by Matosawitko
Summary: She awakens to discover that someone has visited her room during the night.  But why?  Is it a stalker?  Or...  worse?  Twilight's Hammer, archaeology and a mysterious rogue and hunter also make appearances.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's notes:** _This story is quite a bit different from any of my earlier writings. For one thing, these are new characters that I've never worked with so I'm still learning about them. In fact, since I started writing, one of them switched factions (and races, obviously) and one of the others changed races within a faction._

_The first couple of chapters are intentionally rather vague on certain details. You'll learn some new things in chapter 2, and even more in chapter 3 before we really get into the meat of the story. Unfortunately, I'm only midway through chapter 3 so I can't give more details than that._

* * *

She woke to a face full of sunshine. She blinked into the brightness that streamed through the window, stretching her lithe body as she slowly sat up. Her breath caught as she noticed the tripped telltale – someone _had_ been there, had sat in that chair last night. Again. The first time she thought it had been a mistake, perhaps a bad trigger, or that she may have bumped it herself. But this time there could be no mistake.

She opened the door cautiously and looked down the quiet hallway. None of the other guests stirred yet. She could hear clattering dishes downstairs, as the cook and innkeeper began preparing for the day.

Turning back into her room, she grabbed a cloak from her pack and slung it around her shoulders, covering her thin nightclothes. She quietly descended the stairs and settled beside the fireplace, waiting for the innkeeper to notice her. After a few moments he bustled from the back room, his portly frame puffing as he began setting the breakfast preparations. He noticed her and gave a kindly smile.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Thank you, yes." She paused. "Has anyone come through here this morning?"

He frowned in thought. "I don't believe so. Did you expect someone?"

She shook her head. "It's nothing. I just…" She trailed off, looking back into the fire for a long moment.

He smiled again. "Any friend of yours is welcome anytime. Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes – I hope you're hungry!"

She thanked him and ascended the stairs once again. There was no sense burdening him with her fears, not with so many other guests needing his care. She _wasn't _hungry, not anymore.

* * *

He crashed through the doorway, all eyes suddenly focused on him – so different from his normal mode of operation. As he swaggered across the room to the bar, he returned a nod from the pair at the corner table. He tossed some silver on the bar and bawled his order to the barkeep over the din.

Picking up the flagon, he turned to sweep the room with his eyes. _There._ His contact lifted a hand in the slightest acknowledgement before returning to her apparent indifference toward anything besides the large carafe of wine in front of her. He muscled his way through the crowd to a nearby seat and turned so that he could just see her profile from the corner of his eye.

They sat in silence for several minutes, nursing their drinks. Suddenly she stood and staggered toward the door, bumping his shoulder as she passed.

"'Scush meh."

He turned his head and watched her retreating back, his hand wrapped around the small packet she had dropped in his lap. He continued drinking a few minutes longer, then stood and headed for the door himself. Suddenly a large hand clapped on his shoulder.

"Whar you think ya goin', boy?"

He turned, eyeing the hand's owner. A hard stare transformed into a large grin across his face. "Hamuud! I didn't see you." He slipped the palmed item into his pocket as he turned - the information would have to wait.

* * *

A shrill cry pierced the air. She flattened herself against her mount's neck, spurring it onward with all possible speed. A glance behind told her all she needed to know - her pursuer was gaining.

"Come on, you lazy sack of bones - it's your neck on the line too."

She glanced toward the ground again, her head spinning with the height. No shelter or reprieve was visible. Then she spotted... something. A flash, perhaps, or a puff of smoke?

Her upper body fell into her stomach as the ground spiraled toward her. Her sharp eyes continued to search for the disturbance that had attracted them. A campfire and tent! She landed roughly, rolling off her mount and rising to her knees, whipping the ancient bow off her back. Above her, the drake shrieked again.

An arrow leaped from the string, piercing the stump of a leathery wing. A yell from behind her was followed by the cough of a blunderbuss. The drake rapidly backpedaled to a safe altitude. It circled briefly, glaring down at her with beady eyes, then flapped its way west again.

She knelt in silence with her bow taut, watching it disappear beyond the nearest hills. A cleared throat reminded her that she was not alone. As she stood and turned, he spoke in a thick brogue.

"Well, missy, gotcha a knack for findin' trouble, then?"


	2. Chapter 2

A small bell tinkled above the door as she entered. She glanced around the empty shop, then stepped to the counter. After a moment, an aged man emerged from the back room.

"Yes, may I help you?"

She smiled grimly as she dug into her pack. "I purchased this item here three weeks ago, and it is already in need of repair." She pulled a small piece of equipment from her bag. Motionless clockwork gears could be seen through the clear glass front. "It picked the most inopportune time to quit, too - I was down in Duskwood, almost as far from here as possible. As a result, I wasn't able to bring it in immediately, since I still had to somehow wrap up my business without it, then travel all the way here."

He frowned. "Normally these can run for many years with no issues. Did something happen that caused it to stop?"

She shook her head. "Not so far as I am aware. It apparently quit during the night, about five days ago. I know it was working the prior evening; when I woke up the next day, it had stopped."

He picked up the device and turned it over. "Will you be in Dalaran long? This might take a day or two before I can fix it."

"I hadn't planned to stay long, but I really need it repaired. Do you have another I could borrow in the meantime?"

He waved his hand around the shop. "As you can see, my stock is limited right now. This is a fairly unusual item anyway - even in our heyday I would not have more than two or three in stock. But since the fall of the Lich King, I find it unnecessary to carry a large stock, particularly on items that don't move quickly. I should have another coming in early next week."

She sighed her resignation. "I suppose repair is the only option, then. I should be able to wait until evening of the day after tomorrow."

"Where are you staying? I will send you a message when it is ready."

"I have a room at the Legerdemain. Your messenger can call for me there. The Azuregazes will know..."

He arched his eyebrow at her. "I don't normally work on condition of anonymity."

"Very well - I am registered under the name 'Amitra'."

She stepped out into a quiet Dalaran back street. Since the defeat of the Lich King and the subsequent emergence of Deathwing, the city had become a virtual ghost town. However, many items and experts could _only_ be found within the walls of this city. This ensured that the city, though quiet, would not be deserted soon.

It was a short walk to the Legerdemain Lounge, where she ordered a tray of food from Amisi Azuregaze and retired to her room. As soon as she was inside, she kicked off her boots and slumped on the bed, nearly too tired to eat.

* * *

He watched from the alley as she entered the Legerdemain. He waited for several minutes to ensure that she had lodged there, then slipped down the street into the gathering dusk.

The shop's lights were off, though lights shone through the residence windows above. He picked the lock and slipped inside, muffling the bell with his hand. Closing the door quietly behind, he stood silently in the shadows for a moment as his eyes adjusted to the dim interior.

After a moment, he slipped across to the back room. The device still lay on the workbench, the back unscrewed but otherwise untouched. He swiftly screwed it back together, stuffed it into his pack and placed an apparent twin on the bench. He unscrewed the back of the new device and left it lying just as the other had been.

Turning to leave, he glanced quickly around the shop and walked quietly to the front door. As his hand pressed on the latch, a quiet voice spoke from the corner.

"Would you like to explain yourself, or should I invite the Dalaran guards to join us?"

He froze, then turned his head toward the speaker. The shopkeeper stood in the shadows, weapon pointed at his chest.

"How about we start with introductions? As in, just who do you think you are, breaking into my shop? Check that. How about you step slowly away from that door, put your pack on the ground and then hold your hands where I can see them?"

He thought briefly about stealthing, but the shopkeeper continued.

"Don't think about it. For one thing, I'll still know where you are and will shoot you on the spot. Second, don't be stupid - the only way you're getting out of here alive is by acting in a reasonable manner. So, what do you say?"

He grunted and deposited his pack in front of the shopkeeper, then slumped against the wall.

"That's better. Now, let's hear your story. C'mon, boy - I'm only patient during business hours. Why did you want that counterfeit device?"

His head jerked up sharply. "How did..."

"Hey, don't treat me like _I'm_ stupid, either. I've been working on those things for the past 60 years - I knew it the moment I took off the cover. That's why it 'quit working', isn't it? You replaced it on her at some point, and your replacement broke. You might be a sneaky rogue - doesn't make you a competent engineer."

He gave a grudging nod. "Pretty much right, except apparently the replacement _never _worked. She discovered it the first morning after I swapped them."

"Still, you've only answered half the question. _Why_ swap it on her, much less swap it back? Those things don't have much demand on the black market."

"It wasn't for the device - it was _her_." He sighed. "I wanted to know where she was going, who she's meeting. The fake device has a sophisticated tracking enchantment built into it. That was expensive enough. Plus, I couldn't risk you alerting her to either fact - that the device was a fake or that she was being tracked. It's a long story."

The shopkeeper smiled grimly, tapping the barrel of his revolver against his palm. "Time is a luxury I've got in spades."

* * *

She never knew that archaeology could be such tough work. She'd been digging for what felt like a month - in reality only a couple of days - but had so far unearthed only a few item fragments. It sounded interesting to hear others talk about it, but getting your hands dirty on a dig site - particularly not by choice - was a tough introduction.

"I told you, I'm really sorry for messing up your site. Crash-landing here was pretty much my last option before I became dragon feed."

The dwarf scowled even more deeply. "Yeh coulda destroyed valuable artifacts. Not to mention, drawing attention from a drake inna what I'd call good. That thing coulda destroyed this entire camp. Besides, yeh've still got six more fragments to find before you complete our deal."

She groaned, stretching her tired arms and shoulders. She glanced over toward the tent, where her new pet tiger lay basking in the sun. _That_, at least, had made this unexpected side trip worthwhile. As she returned to her work, she pondered how to name her new pet.

_White - maybe something related to light... "Sha". But it needs something else. I tamed him, so he's "redeemed". Maybe "Sha'kure" - "redeemed light". I like that._

"Miss! Hey, missy!"

Her head jerked toward the dwarf.

"Watch what you're doin'. Looks like maybe you found some'at there."

She looked down. A thin metallic edge showed through the dirt. She brushed deeper, and a curved golden surface came into view. Strange runes and symbols were engraved across its surface.

The dwarf came and knelt nearby as he watched her work. Soon, the entire item was visible - a golden bowl, as large as both her hands laid side by side. The sunlight danced across its surface, making strange patterns on their cheeks as they looked at it. The dwarf drew in his breath sharply, a greedy expression flitting across his face.

"Well, I'd say that's worth six fragments. Get outta here before I change my mind."

She scooped up her pack and whistled for Sha'kure, who came bounding gleefully to her side.

"Gladly."


	3. Chapter 3

Fractured dreams paraded through her mind as she slept restlessly. Grasping hands, shadowed faces, layered intrigue - each fed into the next, into her unnamed fears. She woke to find herself crying out against the attack of yet another predatory cultist. She held her body rigid against the memory of the dream.

_It was just a dream - just a dream! Relax..._

Slowly, focused on each part, she gradually released the tension throughout her body. Finally, she lay quietly. Her mind still raced behind her closed eyes, holding a return to sleep at bay.

_Artifacts... things that should never have been lost - now forgotten. How many of us have walked unknowingly above items of unspeakable power, unaware of the vast danger that lay just below the surface?_

_It's amazing how archaeology has come from a virtually unknown profession, practiced by a solitary, studied few, into a mass-market "boutique" profession. Seems like everybody these days is more interested in digging in the dirt than in addressing any of the larger issues of our time._

_But those artifacts - who is monitoring them? Surely someone has realized that the Twilight's Hammer is just as interested as we are. Imagine, an army of cultists armed with the cruelest enchantments of the old gods and ancient cultures. From a time when civility did not yet exist._

She shuddered at the thought, then rolled to her side, snuggling into the pillow once more.

_Kellen was such an idiot, trying to dismiss my fears. He should know what is at stake. But no, he was more interested in pursuing that Draenei chick than in making a difference. He could be such a spy if he would just... apply himself._

She murmured it into the pillow. "Kellen, you are such an idiot."

* * *

The sound of his name snapped his attention back to the present.

_Is she awake? Does she know I am here?_

He stared down at her from the shadows. She did not move. Gradually, he relaxed again and returned to his thoughts.

_Replacing the device is out of the question. And that means I'm out the 5,000 gold for the enchanted one, too. But without some way to track her, how will I know if the information is true - that she's intercepting artifacts and sending them to the Twilight's Hammer?_

_I would not have thought it of her. Frankly, I'm surprised that they'd ask me to investigate my own sister, given the number of times I've heard that lecture about conflicts of interest. Unless this is a wild goose chase, as if they're trying to keep me occupied for some reason. Why do I always think about these things too late?_

As he shook off this thought, he glanced down again. Her large amber eyes drilled into his own. He flinched.

"Kellen?"

"Hi, sis."

"What are you _doing_ here?"

"I... um. That is a _great_ question. Just the question I'd be asking in this situation, if I were you. And there's a great answer, too. Unfortunately..."

He barely had time to blink before she shifted into cat form and launched herself at his chest, knocking him flat on his back. He shook his head to clear the cobwebs, and found her sitting on his chest. Her bared teeth hovered inches from his jugular.

"Kellen. What... are... you... DOING... here?" She spit each word like a bullet. "I don't have time for your word games."

"It's a long story."

She growled, lowering her fangs further.

"Okay, okay! Ow! Can you at least get off my chest?"

She pondered briefly, then muttered a curse that, among other things, would prevent him from being able to stealth. Shifting back into her night elf form, she sat on the edge of the bed and stared down at him as he struggled upright to sit against the wall.

"This ought to be good. It was you, wasn't it?"

"Pardon?"

"Someone has been following me - sitting in my room at night. Attacking or scaring off my contacts." Her eyes darkened. "I bet you were the one who broke my relic, too."

He looked down. "Yeah, not the best idea I've had. At least, the execution didn't work out too well. And we'll have some explaining to do with the shopkeeper tomorrow."

"What, did you break in and trash his shop or something?"

"No, nothing so... destructive. But let's save that for a bit - there's a lot of catching up to do." He paused and gulped, then continued. "I'm just going to ask this as plainly as possible, because you're my sister and I know you'll tell me the truth - are you stealing artifacts and funneling them to the Twilight's Hammer?"

He quailed before the wrath and confusion that raged across her face as she screamed, "WHAT? How could you even think such a thing?" Then, realizing the early hour and the likely presence of others in nearby rooms, she lowered her voice to a hiss. "Of all the... You're kidding, right?"

Though his face remained flushed with shame, he responded gently, "That's not an answer, Amitra."

"Kellen! Argh!" She paused as so many words tried to rush out, they threatened to strangle her. After a moment to calm herself, she continued. "NO! No, that is completely the _opposite_ of what I'm doing. I suspect that someone in the organization _is_ doing that - I'm trying to discover who and how. But I can't just march into headquarters and start questioning people about their motives and actions."

He groaned, holding his head in his hands. "So this goes much deeper... we can't trust anyone."

She stared silently at him for a moment. "Not even one's own siblings, it seems. So, tell me about the shopkeeper. Are we going to have another mess to clean up?"

"No, he's alive and his shop is intact. I told him the story - what I know of it, anyway. I guess he believed me." He shrugged.

"Was that wise?"

"I don't know. Doesn't seem so, now. But the alternative... he had a big gun, pointed at my chest!"

"That definitely sounds persuasive." She rolled her eyes, though he could tell from their twinkle that she was teasing him.

"So now what? I assume we should work together - two heads are better than one, and all that."

She nodded slowly. "Before my investigation was so _rudely_ interrupted, I was looking into the actions of a dwarf down in the southern part of the Eastern Kingdoms. If that trail isn't cold yet, it might be a good place to start."

"Huh, a dwarf and archaeology... who would have thought it?" He barely ducked the swing of her hand toward his forehead.

* * *

She glanced up as she heard a familiar brogue coming from the large meeting room next door. _What is he doing here? Did he follow me to Booty Bay?_

She scratched Sha'kure's tummy to keep him quiet as she leaned toward the doorway and listened.

"Of course I found it. What kind of archaeologist do you think I am?"

The response was a muffled hiss - if there were words, she could not make them out. Then the dwarf continued.

"It matches the description precisely - right size, shape, location. Even the runes look correct - this has to be the bowl. The master will be most pleased to see it, I am sure."

There was silence for a moment.

"I need to get back to the dig. Will you be taking this..."

There was a muffled 'pop' from the next room, then the sound of heavy boots walking toward the door. She ducked back and turned away as he walked down the hallway muttering.

"Idiots. Why does the master insist on recruiting these people? Never had an independent thought in their..." His voice trailed off down the stairs.

She stared into Sha'kure's cool grey eyes. _What have I gotten myself into?_


	4. Chapter 4

"I could have both of you arrested, you know. Passing counterfeit goods, breaking and entering, conspiracy, obstruction..."

They stood silently as the shopkeeper continued to rant. Finally, Amitra held up her hand for silence.

"You're right, we accept full responsibility for our actions. We have both been foolish. Our purpose in coming today was to tell you that, and to demonstrate the truth of my brother's story to you last night."

The shopkeeper blinked, then he chuckled.

"The fact that the device he left is legitimate - and operational - demonstrated the truth of his story long before you came in." He sighed. "No harm done on either part, I suppose. And, since your device works, you're free to take it with you also."

The pair quickly took their leave of the shop. As they walked back toward the Legerdemain, Kellen seemed lost in thought. Finally he blurted, "So, now what?"

Amitra looked at him sharply.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, your trail down south is getting colder all the time. By the time we could return there, that dwarf and all of his contacts will most likely be long gone. The ones I didn't scare off, of course."

"Yes, that might be a problem. There are a couple avenues we could follow. First, Stormwind isn't too far from Stranglethorn - or Duskwood, for that matter. Those are supposed to be the areas where he was operating. The city might also give us access to other resources, too. It's definitely hard to beat the anonymity of a large city. It's not safe to report to headquarters, not yet at least. Not until we have a better grasp on who we can trust."

"On the other hand, if there's anything shady going on in Stranglethorn, there's a good bet that it runs through Booty Bay. That place is shady enough _without_ the Twilight's Hammer. However, our exposure is higher too."

Kellen nodded. "I agree, Booty Bay would be a good place to start, at least to get the lay of things. But how do we get there easily? I mean, we can fly down to..."

She swung at his forehead again, somewhat surprised when he didn't duck in time.

"You big dummy. This is Dalaran - city of mages. You don't think there's _someone_ here who could toss up a portal to Stormwind for us? Getting here was a lot harder than leaving. Let's go get our stuff from the inn. Maybe the Azuregazes already know someone who can give us a portal for a reasonable fee."

"Why couldn't you have become a mage? Then we wouldn't need to mess around with stuff like this."

"Same to you..."

* * *

It was the smell, more than anything, that got his attention. He breathed deeply as the smell of steamy jungle washed over him. Northrend had smelled so cold and dead. Stark. Here, it smelled as though new life could come bursting right out of the rocks themselves. In fact, judging from the lush, verdant scenery that surrounded the town, it did.

They walked along the upper street of Booty Bay and down the ramp to the main thoroughfare. As they walked, Amitra quietly reviewed the progress of her investigation to Kellen.

"Really, it all comes back to the dwarf. That's the beginning and end of the trail. Apparently he tricks unskilled travelers into searching for artifacts, takes their findings and sends them on their way. Nobody knows what he does with the completed pieces. I interviewed one poor farmer in Darkshire who found a nearly-intact scepter of some sort, and the dwarf still made him dig up more fragments before he could go. It's indentured servitude, your soul for thirty fragments of silver."

"Nobody knows his name, who he works for, where he is. As far as I know, nobody has ever seen him twice. He shows up all over Stranglethorn and the southern part of Duskwood."

Kellen walked quietly for a moment, deep in thought. Then he replied, "Isn't there a Twilight's Hammer camp in the Blasted Lands? It's right across the mountain range to the east."

"There could be; they're popping up everywhere these days. But here's the weird thing - nobody has ever seen Twilight's Hammer's direct involvement. In fact, two different people indicated that they saw people from the Earthen Ring and SI:7 talking with the dwarf. That's part of what led me to believe the organization had been infiltrated - if those two are involved, we are too. But along with that - why hasn't any of this been reported at headquarters? Whoever is keeping wraps on it, they're pretty high-level. High enough to squash a pretty big story."

"On the other side of the coin, we never see the artifacts - they're just disappearing. And from the descriptions I've gotten, there are some heavy-duty artifacts coming out of that camp. Such as, items powerful enough to buff an entire squadron of soldiers so they can fight all day and do obscene amounts of damage."

Kellen swore quietly. "You were right, sis. You've been trying to tell me how dangerous this archaeology stuff could be..." He grinned apologetically at her, then his eyes focused on something down the street. "Well, if you're interested in finding out more about Twilight's Hammer involvement, here's your chance."

"What is _he_ doing here?"

Both of them watched a small ogre walk slowly down the ramp from the Booty Bay tunnel. He wore a violet tabard, with a device featuring a large hammer on the chest. He looked around warily, as if expecting to be attacked. The guards, however, kept their distance. Kellen's eyes narrowed as the ogre made a beeline for their position. He stopped in front of them, and spoke in a gravely voice.

"Me seek Amitra Nightblaze." He stumbled over the name. "Most urgent message for her."

Amitra gazed intently at him for a moment with narrow eyes, then replied. "I am Amitra. What do you want?"

"My master, Cho'gall, has most urgent message. He say, 'Abandon your foolish quest, mortal. The truth you seek can only lead to your destruction.'"

"Threats? The _great_ Cho'gall sends an urgent message, and wants to _threaten_ me?"

The ogre just looked at her, then repeated the message. "'Abandon your foolish quest, mortal. The truth you seek can only lead to your destruction.'"

"What about _your_ destruction, fool?" Kellen growled. "You cannot harm a hair on her without going through me first."

The ogre grunted. "That be okay." His mace swung so suddenly that Kellen had to do a backflip to avoid it.

* * *

The sound of loud voices in the street awoke her. She prodded Sha'kure and they slipped down the stairs.

Ahead, an ogre wearing Twilight's Hammer colors was swinging madly at an elf whose hands and knives moved so fast they were nearly invisible. Next to the elf, another elf suddenly transformed into a large bear. The druid roared and swung her large claws at the ogre, distracting him. The rogue immediately slipped behind the ogre and renewed his attack.

She glanced around at the others on the street. Some stood as though frozen, while others scurried for cover. _Please help me not be doing something else stupid..._ She waved her hand, and Sha'kure bounded into the fight. Meanwhile, her bow sang as arrows rained on the ogre.

The ogre roared with rage and increased dramatically in size. His blows were beginning to have a noticeable effect on the druid. However, the ogre was taking a significant beating as well. Suddenly, he threw down a device that opened a dark portal. He stepped through and was gone. Sha'kure bounded back to her side as the druid and rogue collapsed on the deck and began to bandage and heal themselves.

She walked forward to where they sat and crouched nearby. "Are you okay?"

The druid appraised her carefully (as did the rogue, though she did not notice) and responded. "Thank you, that was unnecessary for you to get involved in a fight that was not your own. That could end up being quite dangerous for you."

She shrugged. "I'm afraid that I may have unwittingly helped the Twilight's Hammer the other day. Just setting accounts right."

Two sets of eyes drilled into hers, then the rogue spoke. "There wasn't a... dwarf... involved, by any chance?"

The surprise on her face gave it away before the nod. "You've heard something about this?"

The druid stood and extended her hand. "I am Amitra. This is Kellen." She waved her hand at the rogue. "I think the three of us need to find a quiet place to talk."

"My name is Toraani. And my pet, Sha'kure." She scratched idly behind the cat's ears. "If you're interested in fighting the Twilight's Hammer - and bringing justice for that dwarf slavedriver - then you're just the people I've been searching for."


	5. Chapter 5

The stark walls of Fort Livingston rose ahead of them on the dusty path. Amitra rode quietly, watching Kellen and Toraani banter with one another. She envied Kellen's ease with the opposite sex. However, she also noted bitterly that all too often it had distracted him from his missions. The Draenei girl was pretty, but that wasn't why she had become their traveling companion.

She groaned and shifted in the saddle. It hadn't been a long ride from Booty Bay - it was barely midday. However, she wasn't used to the constant, pounding stress of riding. Even the padded feet of her saber mount couldn't fully eliminate the jostling.

They rode into the small town and dismounted. Kellen jogged over to the flight master and exchanged clearance codes for the right to use the flight path, while the two women stretched and massaged their tired muscles. Toraani spoke first.

"I started out from here two weeks ago. Didn't expect to be back so soon." She grinned weakly.

"You were based here? Or were you passing through?"

"I spent a couple of days here. I was actually on my way up toward the Burning Steppes, but wanted to see the lay of the land on the way." She shook her head. "Saw a bit more than I bargained for. I spent a couple of days ferrying supplies between here, Booty Bay, and the rebel camp up north. It was on the way back from there that..." She broke off and nodded with significance.

"So you were here in Stranglethorn when the drake began pursuing you?"

"Yes. I liked to meander around when I wasn't on a strict schedule, check out the scenery. It was over to the east, near Zul'Gurub. I turned and flew west as fast as the mount would go, but the drake was catching up. That's when I crash-landed in his camp, hoping that there would be someone there capable of helping me drive it away. Of course, the worthless rented mount bolted for home the moment I fell off."

Amitra sighed. "That's a big area. It will be difficult to track him down, even if he hasn't moved far from his original camp."

"Maybe we'll get lucky. I'm due for some good luck, the week I've had."

Kellen returned to the pair and helped them unload their packs. They led their mounts to the bare area that served as a corral and stable.

"I spoke to Livingston Marshal. He's the innkeeper, mayor and sheriff of the town. The inn isn't much - a tent barely big enough for a half-dozen to sleep uncomfortably - but we're welcome to crash there. Honestly, I think he was glad to have some new faces around."

"Thanks, Kellen. That was very helpful." Toraani smiled at him, ignoring the glance from Amitra.

"Good enough. Let's scout some of the nearby ruins, to see if there has been any recent digging."

Kellen groaned. "I'm definitely not looking forward to another long ride."

"You're welcome to walk, then." Amitra realized after the words were out of her mouth that it had sounded more harsh than she intended. She blushed and put her hand on his shoulder. "Sorry, Kel. Long day."

Toraani spoke up quietly. "I wouldn't mind a bit of a ride, after some lunch. Maybe Sha'kure can stretch his legs and do some hunting, too. I wonder if he ever wandered through here? When he was..." She trailed off.

Kellen's eyes brightened at the mention of food. "I bet there's someone here in town that can whip up some grub." He turned and marched back toward the innkeeper.

"I know it's none of my business..." Toraani noticed the hard look on Amitra's face, but continued. "But it seems like you're rather tough on him sometimes."

"You're right - it's none of your bu..." She blinked. "Aww, fel, now I'm doing it to you, too. Kellen is... he's one of those people who could amount to something if they'd just expend a little effort. He's been that way since we were kids."

"That sounds like my sister. It always drove me nuts about her. I'd try to help her with schoolwork, and she would be content to let me do the thinking for her. Still, seems to me that he is actually trying. I mean, he got us registered at the inn, and he's going for food."

"That's all self-serving as much as anything." Amitra grumped. "Try getting him to do something that's not for his own benefit." She twitched in surprise as a blue hand rested on her arm, but did not push it away. She glanced up to see the large blue eyes shining with unshed tears.

"Amitra, don't let this come between you. He obviously adores his sister. Don't wish..." She swallowed hard. "Treasure every day you have to spend with him." The tears were falling now. Amitra pulled her close.

"Something happened to her?" She felt Toraani nod against her shoulder. "I'm so sorry. You don't have to say any more about it unless you want to."

She sat quietly for a moment before murmuring, "Maybe some other time." She straightened and brushed the remaining tears from her eyes.

"Well!" They glanced up to see Kellen returning, carrying three plates of steaming food. "I leave the two of you alone for a minute and you go and make her cry?"

Amitra was about to give him the most piercing glare she could muster, until she heard a stifled giggle next to her.

"Thank goodness you're here, Kellen - we were _both _about to start crying, we were so hungry."

The confused look on his face made both of them laugh.

* * *

This time, Kellen watched quietly from behind as the pair ahead talked in animated tones. Something unexplained had changed in their relationship, and his head could not grasp what it might have been. Unlike the morning, they rode gently and without any urgent purpose. In fact, he had simply released his mount's head to follow behind the two women as he rode in quiet contemplation.

Because of his lack of attention, he nearly ran into them when they stopped. Amitra held up her hand for quiet and pointed out the first set of ruins, visible through the trees. In a hushed voice she described their approach to avoid alerting any trolls or other hostiles that might be in the area.

As they entered the ruin, it became apparent that someone had been digging there fairly recently. Scrabbled spots and piles of dirt showed where several items had been dug from the ground. Using her tracking expertise, Toraani inspected the tracks and whispered her findings to the others.

"It looks like there were four people. Two wore boots, so it's almost impossible to identify their race. One was smaller than the other - might have been the dwarf. Of the other two, it looks like one was a troll and the other was a female Tauren. The troll's footprints appear to be the latest - the clearest prints are on top of the others - so he may have been a local tribesman who wandered through after the others left."

"Any idea which way they went?"

Toraani walked to the main entry of the ruin and pondered the ground for several minutes. Finally, she shook her head. "They mounted up here - horses or ponies - but once they got out to the main road the surface was too packed to leave a trail. These tracks were made sometime this morning, but they could be just about anywhere by now."

"Over here!" Kellen called from the far side of the clearing. The two women hurried to his side.

The satchel nearly blended into the rich brown of the soil. Amitra nudged it with her foot and the top flopped open. It was empty except for a sheet of parchment, folded over and sealed with a blob of purple wax. She carefully reached inside and picked it up. There was no visible writing on the outside, and the seal appeared intact but without device. She glanced up at the others, then carefully broke the seal.

The inside of the paper was blank as well. She sighed in confusion. "Why seal a blank paper?"

"Maybe it's enchanted somehow?" Kellen shrugged. "There's a lot they can do with enchantments now."

"We might have to go to Stormwind to find anyone capable of telling us more, then. There aren't too many reliable enchanters here in Stranglethorn." She moved to put the folded paper into her bag.

"What about a more simple approach?" Both of them looked at Toraani in confusion. "When we were kids, my sister and I used to pass secret messages using fruit juice. It soaks into the paper and disappears, but when you heat it over a candle or something, the writing turns brown so you can read it."

"It can't hurt to try, I suppose. There are a lot of tropical fruits here in Stranglethorn."

She held the paper out to Toraani. Kellen dug through his pack until he found a candle, and Toraani carefully held the paper near the flame for a moment. Nothing happened.

"I suppose you were right - we'll need to go to Storm..." She gasped. "Look! There's something appearing in the corner!" She continued heating the paper until the entire sheet was filled with scrawled writing. Kellen and Amitra looked over her shoulder as they all read it silently.

_Master,_

_Progress has been slow. Besides the discovery of the Bowl of Am'uun, no significant pieces have been found recently. As you will recall, I warned you at the outset that this could be the case. Archaeology is an imprecise science at times. Pieces are prone to damage, or may be buried too deeply for convenient retrieval._

_We have chosen to abandon this region due to the hostility of the local Troll tribes. They apparently take exception with our desire to dig within their ancient sites. We will return to the northeast for a time while things cool off here. Fortunately, there is no indication that any of the pieces in that region have been discovered by other searchers, based on our contacts within the various research and information-gathering groups._

_The northeastern zone will also allow us to interact more directly with the forces gathered just east, across the mountains. I have already sent communications to the commander there, requesting his support for the operation as necessary._

_There are some powerful trinkets and artifacts still rumored to be in this region, so I intend to return here at first opportunity. I will keep you appraised of our progress._

_Yours,_

_-Karn_

Amitra whistled through her teeth. "Well, that narrows things down a little." The others chuckled as she rolled her eyes.

* * *

"So, were the two of you talking about me? Today at lunch, I mean?"

She glanced at him with what she hoped was a blank expression as she tried to decide how to respond. "Oh, yes. Talking about self-absorbed elves makes me go to pieces every time."

He chuckled. "I knew it. Amitra likes to break women in gently when it comes to being around me."

"Actually, I told her she needs to be easier on you. It's a long story."

"Really? Thanks." He patted her hand. After a low rumble from Sha'kure, he backed up slightly. "Sorry, cat. I'm really pretty harmless." Looking at Toraani, he gestured toward the tiger. "He seems very protective toward you. How long have the two of you been together?"

She smiled gently, scratching the big cat's ears. "Let's see... this is Tuesday. So... five days?"

"Really?" His eyebrows waggled in surprise. "But weren't you..."

She nodded. "Yes, it was while I was at the dwarf's camp. He was wandering nearby and the dwarf was just about to shoot him. I convinced him to let me tame him instead. He grumbled about it at first, but I think he liked having an extra protector around the camp. The local Trolls were terrified of Sha'kure - as long as we were in the camp, they left all of us alone."

"It's a good thing he let you take the tiger then - or let you go at all."

"Well, it doesn't really work that way. Hunter pets are really only loyal to the one who tames them. Without me, Sha'kure would have just returned to being a wild animal. And if the dwarf had tried to keep me beyond our agreement, Sha'kure might have nibbled on him." She smirked. "At the time, I just thought he was a jerk. I didn't find out until later about the involvement with Twilight's Hammer."

They sat in silence for a few moments, then she glanced up at him again. "It must be tough working with a sibling. I know that my sister and I never saw eye-to-eye on things. How do you guys do it?"

"Actually, a lot of the time we don't. This is probably the most time we've spent together in the past twenty years. We work for the same organization, but our actual tasks and roles are wildly different. In general, our organization's job is to track and prevent the abuse of powerful artifacts. Sometimes we have to confiscate them, if they're too powerful to be used safely. Unfortunately, there are a lot of shady dealers out there who are more interested in making a quick sack of gold than in protecting the public safety."

"Amitra oversees a lot of the administrative and regulatory stuff. Dealing with the Alliance and neutral auction houses, stuff like that. She's the one people are supposed call when they receive an unknown artifact - well, her or her Horde counterpart. Within the organization, she's fairly high-ranking - there are probably only six or seven others with higher authority."

"As for me, I'm the grunt labor." He grinned sheepishly. "I'm part of the investigative team. I guess you could call us spies, though even that's too glamorous for it most of the time. We spend a lot of time out in the field or ferrying information and artifacts." He shrugged. "Amitra keeps pushing me to move up the ladder - I think she thinks I'm lazy. I suppose that's at least partly true. I do know that I haven't always focused on the job as narrowly as I should. But I would go absolutely insane trying to do a desk job. Besides, I get to rub shoulders with every race on Azeroth. Though I suppose she does too, but it's different."

After a moment's thought, he continued. "You know, I've probably said more than I should. So, don't spill the beans or I'll have to kill you." He winked at her.

"So what brought the two of you together, now?"

"Stupidity. Fate. I don't know. The last few weeks, I guess she's been out of the office more than usual with no real explanation. At the same time, there were rumors that the Twilight's Hammer were getting their hands on some powerful artifacts. Her supervisor wanted someone to track her down and find out what was going on. Quietly. They picked me. Except I was dumb and messed up one of her trinkets, trying to find a way to track her. She took it back to the shop in Dalaran where she had gotten it, and I ended up getting caught by the shopkeeper when I tried to replace it. Then, she caught me that night when I was trying to decide what to do next."

"I bet that hurt - the super spy, caught by two different people in the same night. Your desk-jockey sister, no less."

He chuckled. "A bit. I had already concluded at that point, though, that she wasn't involved in trafficking artifacts. And when I heard her side of the story... I was dumb not to have just asked her in the first place. Involvement in something like that would be so totally out of character for her."

"It's hard to be objective sometimes, when you're talking about family."

"Yes, it is. You mentioned your sister, earlier. Do you still get along with her?"

She stiffened unconsciously for a moment. Sha'kure's head snapped up from its resting place on his front paws, his golden eyes drilling into Kellen. Toraani rested her hand on the tiger's head. "It's okay, boy. Lie down."

After the tiger's head returned to rest, she continued in a tight voice. "This was actually the conversation at lunch that..." She nodded significantly as tears welled up again.

"Oh, I am so sorry." He cursed quietly at himself. "This is why I try to avoid serious conversations - I always manage to say the wrong thing to the wrong person at the wrong time."

She rested her hand on his. "It's okay. You didn't know." She glanced up and saw Amitra gazing at the two of them from across the fire, a look of concern across her face. Toraani beckoned her closer, then tightened her fingers around Kellen's hand as she continued.

"Domuu was... is, I guess... a warrior. I always joked to her that she must have been hit over the helm one too many times. She thought with her sword more than her brain, always charging into situations. She didn't usually think things through very well."

"During all of the upheaval - the elemental invasions, cultists in the streets - she became a convert. At first she claimed she was just infiltrating the group to figure out what they were up to. But eventually she... The last time I saw her, it was in the cultist camp near Stormwind. I begged her to come back, to consider the foolishness of the cultists' claims. I think that drove her away even more. She was so cold... She told me to leave, that she had no family except her brothers and sisters in the cult. That the only way I could remain her sister was to join the cult."

"I didn't know anything about the Twilight's Hammer at the time. Since the Shattering, though, I've learned far more than I ever wanted. Still, I don't know where she is now. Some of the cultists were arrested. I'm sure some have died. Many are in camps scattered all over Azeroth. I don't even know how I might find her. Right now, I think I'd settle for the knowledge that she is alive and unharmed."

Amitra sighed. "Well, that definitely explains your anger toward the Twilight's Hammer. By Elune, we'll do whatever we can to help you find her."


	6. Author's conclusion, for now

So, the two of you who actually follow this story have probably noticed that I haven't updated in a long time. Furthermore, this situation probably isn't going to change anytime soon.

In part, this is due to some personal events. Soon after I posted the most recent chapter, we had a death in the family that resulted in some intense travel. At about the same time my work schedule exploded for a short while and I had a hard time finding spare time or energy to write.

I also got stuck on the story direction. I had a couple ideas that didn't "grab" me, but I haven't found anything to replace them. As a relatively inexperienced writer, this is probably due to my approach to writing – in most of the stories I've written, the direction "appeared" in the story fairly quickly. It hasn't done so in this one yet.

The biggest blow to this story, I think, is that I discovered I just didn't _care_ about the characters like I do in my other stories. This definitely comes through in the writing, and the (lack of) response from readers indicates that you ultimately haven't grown to care about them either.

If I have any significant ideas I might get around to writing more someday. For now, expect this story to be abandoned where it currently stands.


End file.
